Department for Transport

Noise: Pollution

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce noise both in the internal environment, in particular, with regard to underground trains, and the external environment, with greater use of noise barriers.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Government believes that it is important to minimise the noise impacts of the railway on its neighbours and on passengers. We have actively contributed to the development of the new European noise technical specification for interoperability that sets limits on noise from new and upgraded rolling stock. In the Government's most recent rail innovation competition, £2.75m of funding was awarded to projects aimed at reducing environmental impacts such as noise pollution. One of these projects will develop a noise barrier with an innovative design that will deflect noise upwards in order to reduce noise at a level comparable to a barrier of three times the height. Transport for London is responsible for the London Underground and its noise impacts.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe decision of the United Nations General Assembly that the decolonisation of Mauritius has not been lawfully completed because the detachment of the Chagos Archipelago was not based on the free and genuine expression of the will of the people of Mauritius; whether they accept that decision; and if not, why not.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It is disappointing that Mauritius’ claim that the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is part of Mauritius, which we strongly refute, should have been referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by the UN General Assembly. It is an accepted international principle that States should not be compelled to have their bilateral disputes adjudicated upon by the ICJ without their consent. Circumventing this principle sets a dangerous precedent. BIOT has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. No international court or tribunal has ever found UK sovereignty to be in doubt. Mauritius agreed to the detachment of the islands in 1965, in return for certain benefits including a UK commitment, which we stand by, to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. Mauritius affirmed that agreement numerous times following independence, and in March 2015 a United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Arbitral Tribunal ruled the agreement to be internationally binding.

UN General Assembly

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times they have notcomplied with decisions of the United Nations General Assembly.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Under the United Nations Charter, the UN General Assembly passes resolutions that make recommendations to Member States. These resolutions are not legally binding. While resolutions express the view of the General Assembly as a whole, those Member States which vote against or abstain on individual resolutions are not legally committed to implement their respective contents. Of the 313 resolutions adopted during the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly (2017-18), 234 were adopted by consensus (i.e. without a vote). Of the remaining 79 which were adopted by vote, the UK voted in favour of 44, against 25 and abstained on 10 occasions.

Department for International Development

Syria: International Assistance

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the research paper by the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham HousePrincipled Aid in Syria: A Framework for International Agencies, published in July.

baroness sugg: We welcome the recent Chatham House paper, and note the report’s concerns over alleged Assad regime interference in the delivery of humanitarian aid, including the risk of diverting aid for military and political purposes. Our aid contribution in Syria is targeted towards those most in need and distributed, impartially, in line with humanitarian principles. On this basis, our partners do work in regime-controlled areas. However, DFID does not work directly with the Assad regime, and our programmes have a range of safeguards in place to mitigate the risks of regime interference and aid diversion. These measures include independent third-party monitoring of programmes and tight financial controls, which include requiring our partners to record and provide detailed information and evidence about the use of funds. We have a high degree of confidence in these measures, but will continue to keep this position under review.

Women and Children First UK: Finance

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contribution they made to (1) the core, and (2) non-core, funding ofWomen and Children First UK in (a) 2016–17, (b) 2017–18, and (c) 2018–19.

baroness sugg: DFID has provided no core funding to Women and Children First UK in the years referenced.DFID provided £110,983 non-core funding to Women and Children First UK through the Global Poverty Action Fund during 2016/17. Indirect funding through sub agreements with tier one partners is not centrally held and could only be collated at disproportionate cost.

World Health Organisation: Finance

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contribution they made to (1) the core, and (2) non-core, funding of theWorld Health Organizationin (a) 2016–17, (b) 2017–18, and (c) 2018–19.

baroness sugg: Contributions are as follows:Year* Core (£millions)Non–core (£ millions)16/17 28.54125.2717/18 28.54125.2718/19 30.6m137.24 *WHO operates on a biennium financing cycle. Figures above are based on WHO biennium years (16-17 and 18-19).Contributions are split into two separate years in response to this PQ. For example, UK total core contribution to the WHO biennium of 2016 - end 2017 was approx. £57.07m but has been divided in two (£28.54m) to show our approximate contribution for 2016 and 2017. UK core contribution also includes UK assessed contributions in years 16/17, 17/18 and 18/19.Assessed contributions are contributions that must be paid by Member states to retain membership of WHO and participation in its governance. Contributions are assessed each biennium based on each member state’s relative wealth and GDP. These contributions constitute, by their nature, core funding. The UK non-core contribution is comprised of a number of programmes across DFID, Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) including Public Health England (PHE). Focus areas include support to Polio Eradication amongst other health areas.

UNAIDS: Finance

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contribution they made to (1) the core, and (2) non-core, funding of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDSin (a) 2016–17, (b) 2017–18, and (c) 2018–19.

baroness sugg: All funding to UNAIDS in the periods requested have been core-funding as follows:YearCore funding2016/17£15m2017/18£15m2018/19£15m

UNICEF: Finance

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contribution they made to (1) the core, and (2) non-core, funding of UNICEF in (a) 2016–17, (b) 2017–18, and (c) 2018–19.

baroness sugg: Details of Her Majesty's Government (HMG) spending on international development is available online in Statistics on International Development. Please note that data is published by calendar year and not HMG financial year. The report shows that the UNICEF received the following funding: 20162017Core£48m£48mNon-Core£354m£400m 2018 data on non-core funding will be published later this year. Core funding for 2018 remained steady at £48m.

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: Finance

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contribution they made to (1) the core, and (2) non-core, funding of the Global Fundto Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in (a) 2016–17, (b) 2017–18, and (c) 2018–19.

baroness sugg: The table below shows DFID’s financial contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria over the timeframe specified. All of DFID’s contributions are provided as core funding.Financial YearCore funding (£ millions)2016/171532017/183172018/19360

UN Women: Finance

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contribution they made to (1) the core, and (2) non-core, funding of UNWomen in (a) 2016–17, (b) 2017–18, and (c) 2018–19.

baroness sugg: Details of Her Majesty's Government (HMG) spending on international development is available online in Statistics on International Development. Please note that data is published by calendar year and not HMG financial year. The report shows that the UN Women received the following funding:YearCore (£ millions)Non-core (£ millions)201612.58.3201712.56.8 2018 data on non-core funding will be published later this year. Core funding for 2018 remained steady at £12.5m.

Developing Countries: Education

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, with UNESCO, to raise global education standards.

baroness sugg: In alignment with the Global Goal for education (SDG4), DFID is helping tackle the learning crisis: millions of children unable to read and do maths despite years at school. DFID works to strengthen the quality of education and the effectiveness of education systems so that all children have access and opportunity to learn. UNESCO is the UN’s specialized agency for education and UN lead on SDG4. DFID works with UNESCO towards our shared goal of ensuring quality education for all. DFID provides a voluntary contribution of £7.8m to support the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) and the UNESCO published Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM Report). The UIS provides comparable, publicly available data on learning outcomes. The GEM Report is an independent, policy focused monitoring report, it is a key tool for pushing progress towards the Global Goals. Our support to the UIS and the GEM Report is being used to create vital data, evidence and tools to assess whether children are learning, who is being left behind and whether SDG4 is being achieved. It allows the international community to report progress on SDG4 education indicators on learning and equity and enables policy makers to know whether SDG4 is on track and where to direct policy intervention.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release: Curfews

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual cost of (1) assessing, (2) monitoring, and (3) any additional support in thecommunity required for, prisoners released under Home Detention Curfew.

lord keen of elie: This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. An assessment of the specific use of staff time would be required in order to estimate the costs involved.

Treasury

Pensions: Tax Allowances

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of recent changes to the Lifetime Allowance for pension benefits for those in (1) the legal profession, (2) the medical profession, and (3) other professions; and of the case for reviewing those changes.

lord young of cookham: Pensions tax relief is one of the most expensive reliefs in the personal tax system. In 2017/18 income tax and employer National Insurance Contributions relief cost over £50 billion, with around two-thirds going to higher and additional rate taxpayers. As confirmed at Autumn Budget 2017, from April 2018 the lifetime allowance will increase in line with CPI, in order that the value of this benefit is able to keep pace with inflation. This means from April 2019 the lifetime allowance has risen to £1,055,000. The same tax rules must apply identically to everyone in the same situation, regardless of their employer. However, across all public service workforces the Government looks at remuneration in the round and takes action when required to ensure delivery of world class public services. Where there is evidence that the delivery of services is being impacted, the Government takes appropriate action to address this, in line with our principles for pay and pensions policy. This is why we have introduced a temporary, taxable, Recruitment and Retention allowance for a small section of the judiciary, and will shortly bring forward a consultation on a new 50:50 pensions flexibility for senior clinicians in the NHS pension scheme. All aspects of the tax system are kept under review and are subject to change through the annual Budget, in the context of the wider public finances. Any future changes to the tax system will be announced through this process.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Local Government: Devolution

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Lord HeseltineEmpowering English Cities, published on 2 July; and whether they intend to provide a response.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Lord Heseltine brought forward a motion in the House of Lords on the subject of this report on 17th July. It is a thought provoking report full of excellent ideas on devolution within England. I committed afterwards to share a record of the debate with every government department such is its importance. The Department is carefully considering its recommendations.

Mayors: Cost Effectiveness

lord grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byLord Young of Cookham on 4 July (HL Deb, col 1524), what assessment they have made of (1) the comparative costs of directly elected mayoral systems and traditional systems of local government administration, and (2) whether directly elected mayoral systems represent value for money.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government’s comparative assessment of the models of local governance is that only the mayoral model provides that single point of accountability necessary if significant powers and budgets are to be devolved to an area, and it is for local areas to decide whether such an arrangement would be of benefit and value to their local communities.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

South Africa: Lions

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of South Africa about the practice of canned hunting of lions.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey MP raised this issue with the Government of South Africa in 2016.

Home Office

Police

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the structure of the territorial police forces in England and Wales,in particular regard to (1) the standard of performance, (2) public satisfaction, and (3) ensuring that the full range of expert services, subject to a proportionate and necessary senior command structure, is available throughout the country.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government has no current plans to review the structure of territorial police forces in England and Wales.More can be done within the current organisational and leadership structures to improve police performance and ensure services meet public expectations.The Government supports HMICFRS’ ongoing assessments of forces, measuring performance and identifying areas to improve. Through the Police Transformation Fund we have also supported collaboration arrangements, for example, via the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Specialist Capabilities Programme which is developing new approaches for the provision of specialist capabilities across police force boundaries to tackle a range of criminality.

Department for International Trade

Balance of Trade

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to decrease the UK’s trade deficit after Brexit.

viscount younger of leckie: The Government is committed to supporting UK exports. International trade is beneficial to economic growth and is important to achieving long term prosperity and welfare. The Government has a range of policies, in particular the Industrial Strategy, to enable UK firms to compete in global markets. The Export Strategy, launched in August 2018, sets out how the Government will enable UK businesses to take advantage of international demand for UK goods and services. This support, including impartial export advice from International Trade Advisors and our overseas network in markets across the world, has contributed to the continuing growth in UK exports which increased by 4% to a record high of £647.1 billion in the 12 months to May 2019.